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Verse-by-Verse Commentary

The Book of Luke

Chapter 4: The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Me

Luke 4 launches the ministry of Jesus, and it opens with conflict and manifesto. Full of the Holy Ghost, Jesus is led into the wilderness and tempted forty days by the devil, and He overcomes every temptation with the written word: 'It is written.' Returning 'in the power of the Spirit,' He comes to Nazareth and reads His own mission from Isaiah, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,' declaring, 'This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.' But His own townspeople, offended, try to cast Him headlong from a cliff, and He passes through their midst. At Capernaum He teaches with authority, casts out an unclean spirit that confesses Him 'the Holy One of God,' heals Simon's mother-in-law and many others, and presses on: 'I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.' The chapter reveals the Spirit-anointed Saviour who conquers the tempter by the word, proclaims good news to the poor, and commands even demons and disease.

About This Commentary

This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 4. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus overcomes temptation, proclaims His mission at Nazareth, is rejected, and casts out an unclean spirit. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.

Setting the Stage

The Wilderness

It Is Written

Jesus overcomes the tempter's three assaults with the written word.

The Manifesto

The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Me

At Nazareth Jesus reads and fulfills His anointed mission from Isaiah.

The Rejection

No Prophet Is Accepted

His own townspeople turn to fury and try to throw Him from a cliff.

The Authority

The Holy One of God

He commands unclean spirits and disease with a word of power.

The Temptation

Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone (Luke 4:1-13)

Led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus meets the tempter's three assaults and defeats each with the written word of God.

Luke 4:1-13

Get Thee Behind Me, Satan

"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."

Word Study

"It is written," Greek gegraptai (γέγραπται). The word is a perfect tense, "it stands written," meaning the Scripture was written in the past and remains permanently in force. Three times Jesus meets the tempter not with His own divine power but with "It is written," quoting Deuteronomy. He answers every lie of Satan with the settled, standing word of God. This is the weapon He has given His people: the human Jesus, full of the Spirit, overcame the devil by the Scripture, and so may we. What "stands written" does not change and cannot be broken; it is the sword that puts the tempter to flight.

Explanation

Full of the Spirit, Jesus is led into the wilderness and tested at the three points where Adam and Israel fell -- appetite, power, and presumption -- and He answers each with "It is written." Where the first Adam fell in a garden of plenty, the last Adam prevails in a barren desert, wielding not divine displays but the written Word as any believer must. The devil even quotes Scripture, but Jesus will not tempt God nor bow for the kingdoms offered. He overcomes as a man, in the Spirit's power, so that His victory becomes the pattern and pledge of ours.

Gospel Focus

Jesus, "full of the Holy Ghost," is led by that same Spirit "into the wilderness" to be tempted. Notice: the Spirit- filled life is not exempt from testing but often led straight into it. Where the first Adam fell in a garden of plenty, the Second Adam would conquer in a barren wilderness, hungry after forty days. The devil's three assaults are a pattern of all temptation. First, to appetite: "command this stone that it be made bread", use your power to serve yourself, outside the Father's will. Jesus answers, "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God"; obedience to God matters more than the body's cravings. Second, to ambition and the shortcut: the devil offers "all the kingdoms of the world" for one act of worship, the crown without the cross. Jesus refuses: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." He would receive the kingdoms from His Father, by the way of the cross, not from Satan by compromise. Third, to presumption: cast yourself down, and let God catch you, even twisting Scripture to bait the trap. Jesus replies, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"; faith trusts God, it does not test Him. In every case Jesus overcomes not by flashing His deity but by the written word, wielded in the power of the Spirit, the very resources available to us. This is deeply encouraging: our Saviour was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," and He shows us the way to victory. Hide God's word in your heart, trust the Father's will over the shortcut and the self-serving craving, and answer the tempter with "It is written." The devil departed "for a season", the battle would resume, but the wilderness Victor is the One who arms and strengthens us to overcome.

The Manifesto at Nazareth

This Day Is This Scripture Fulfilled (Luke 4:14-30)

Jesus reads His own mission from Isaiah and declares it fulfilled, but His own town turns from wonder to murderous rage.

Luke 4:14-30

He Hath Anointed Me to Preach the Gospel to the Poor

"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way,"

Word Study

"anointed," Greek echrisen (ἔχρισεν). The verb chrio, "to anoint," is the very root of the title Christos, "Christ," the Anointed One. Jesus reads Isaiah's words, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me," and declares them fulfilled in Himself: He is the Anointed One, the Christ, on whom the Spirit rests. The anointing is not oil but the Holy Ghost, equipping Him for His mission, to preach good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, free the captives, and open blind eyes. To be the Christ is to be the Spirit-anointed Saviour, and His whole ministry flows from this anointing.

Explanation

In the Nazareth synagogue Jesus reads Isaiah 61 -- "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me... to preach the gospel to the poor" -- and declares, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." He announces Himself as the anointed Servant come to bring liberty and the acceptable year of the Lord. But when He reminds them that God's mercy once reached a Sidonian widow and a Syrian leper over Israel, their pride turns to murderous rage, and they try to throw Him off a cliff. The Saviour's own town rejects Him, foreshadowing the pattern of the Gospel -- grace despised at home flows out to the nations.

Gospel Focus

Returning "in the power of the Spirit," Jesus comes to His hometown of Nazareth and, in the synagogue, reads what is in effect His mission statement, from Isaiah 61: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Here is the heart of Luke's Gospel: the Saviour comes for the poor, the broken, the bound, and the blind, good news for the needy and the outcast. Then Jesus makes the stunning claim: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." The long-awaited Anointed One is standing before them; the prophecy is fulfilled in Him. At first they wonder "at the gracious words," but then familiarity breeds contempt: "Is not this Joseph's son?" They cannot receive that God's salvation has come in the carpenter's boy they watched grow up. Jesus exposes their unbelief with two Old Testament examples, Elijah sent to a Gentile widow of Sidon, and Elisha cleansing Naaman the Syrian, showing that God's grace had often reached beyond unbelieving Israel to the Gentiles. This is Luke's great theme again, the Saviour of all people, and it is precisely this hint that grace would go to the Gentiles that enrages them. From wonder they turn to wrath, thrusting Him out to "cast him down headlong" from the cliff. But His hour had not come, and "he passing through the midst of them went his way." Two warnings meet here. Familiarity can blind us to Christ, so that we miss Him because He does not come as we expect. And a heart that resents God's grace to others is a heart in danger. But over it all shines the manifesto: the Spirit-anointed Saviour has come with good news for the poor and liberty for the bruised. Do not, like Nazareth, stumble over Him; receive the Anointed One who comes to heal and set free.

Authority at Capernaum

With Authority and Power He Commandeth (Luke 4:31-44)

In Capernaum Jesus teaches with power, casts out an unclean spirit, and heals many, revealing His authority over demons and disease.

Luke 4:31-44

I Must Preach the Kingdom of God

"And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee."

Word Study

"rebuked," Greek epetimesen (ἐπετίμησεν). The word means to rebuke, to command with authority, the same word used when Jesus rebuked the storm. Here He "rebuked" the unclean devil, and then "rebuked the fever," and both obeyed. His word carries the authority of the Creator over the powers of darkness and over disease alike. The onlookers marvel, "with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out." When Jesus rebukes, demons flee and fevers depart; His mere word does what no man's can, revealing that the One who speaks is God in flesh.

Explanation

At Capernaum the authority of Jesus is on full display: He teaches with power, casts out an unclean spirit that names Him "the Holy One of God," heals Peter's mother-in-law, and lays hands on the multitudes at sunset. The demons cry out that He is the Christ, and He silences them, for the confession must come from faith, not from the powers He came to destroy. Rising "a great while before day" to pray, He refuses to be held by one town: "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities... for therefore am I sent." The Saviour's mission is as wide as human need.

Gospel Focus

At Capernaum the authority of the Anointed One is on full display. He teaches, and "they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power." Unlike the scribes who quoted others, Jesus spoke with inherent authority. Then an unclean spirit cries out in terror, and gives a testimony truer than the townspeople of Nazareth would give: "I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God." The demons recognize His deity and holiness and tremble, while men in unbelief reject Him. Jesus silences the demon, "Hold thy peace, and come out of him," and it obeys, hurting the man not at all. The people marvel: "with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out." From the synagogue Jesus goes to Simon Peter's house, where He "rebuked the fever" of Simon's mother-in-law and it left her, and at sunset He heals a whole town, laying "his hands on every one of them." Notice the tenderness alongside the power, He touches each one; and notice the demons again confessing, "Thou art Christ the Son of God," which He refuses to let them proclaim, for the testimony to who He is must come rightly, not from unclean lips. Here is the Saviour of Luke's manifesto in action: preaching with power, casting out devils, healing the sick, doing exactly what Isaiah said the Anointed One would do. And yet He will not be held even by a grateful crowd: "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent." His mission was wider than one town; He was sent to preach the good news of the kingdom everywhere. The chapter that opened with the Spirit-anointed Saviour reading His mission closes with Him living it out, conquering the tempter, the demons, and disease, and pressing on to preach the kingdom to all. Bring your bondage, your sickness, your broken heart to the Holy One of God, whose word is with power.

Chapter 4 in Review

Luke 4 launches the ministry of the Spirit-anointed Saviour. Led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Jesus overcomes the devil's three temptations with the written word, "It is written," conquering where the first Adam fell. Returning "in the power of the Spirit," He reads His mission at Nazareth from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor," and declares, "This day is this scripture fulfilled," only to be rejected by His own town, who try to throw Him from a cliff. At Capernaum He teaches with power, casts out an unclean spirit that confesses Him "the Holy One of God," heals Simon's mother-in-law and many others, and presses on: "I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent."

For the Apostolic reader the chapter reveals who Jesus is and how His people may live. He is the Christ, the Anointed One, on whom the Spirit of the Lord rests, come with good news for the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, and liberty for the captives, the Saviour of all, Jew and Gentile alike. He is the One whose word is with power, before whom demons tremble and confess, and diseases flee. And in His temptation He shows us the path of victory: not by our own strength but as the Spirit-filled man who answered every lie with "It is written." Hide God's word in your heart and wield it against the tempter; do not, like Nazareth, stumble over a familiar Christ or resent His grace to others; and bring your every bondage and brokenness to the Holy One of God. The Spirit-anointed Saviour has come to preach the kingdom, and He is sent still to set the captives free.

Key Takeaways
  • Jesus overcame temptation as a Spirit-filled man, by the written word: "It is written" (4:4, 8, 12).
  • He is the Christ, the Anointed One, come with good news for the poor and liberty for the bruised (4:18).
  • Familiarity and resentment of God's grace to others blinded Nazareth to Christ (4:22-29).
  • His word is with power; demons and disease obey His rebuke (4:35-36, 39).
  • Even the demons confess His deity: "the Holy One of God" (4:34).
  • Jesus was sent to preach the kingdom of God to all, not to be held by one town (4:43).

Questions for Reflection

  • Do you meet temptation with "It is written," the word hidden in your heart?
  • Have you received the Anointed One's good news for the poor and broken?
  • Do you ever, like Nazareth, stumble over Christ or resent His grace to others?
  • What bondage or brokenness do you need to bring to the Holy One of God?

References & Sources

Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Jesus' answers to the tempter: Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:13, 16. The manifesto from Isaiah: Isaiah 61:1-2; 42:7. Elijah and the widow, Elisha and Naaman: 1 Kings 17:8-24; 2 Kings 5:1-14. Christ tempted yet without sin: Hebrews 4:15; 2:18. The word of God as the Spirit's sword: Ephesians 6:17; Psalm 119:11. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.

  1. The temptation of Jesus: Luke 4:1-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Deuteronomy 6-8.
  2. The manifesto and rejection at Nazareth: Luke 4:14-30; Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6; Isaiah 61:1-2.
  3. Authority at Capernaum: Luke 4:31-44; Mark 1:21-39; Matthew 8:14-17.
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